The present invention relates to a device for setting product planograms in a retail store or the like.
Retail stores such as a department store have a limited amount of space in which to display products or present them for sale. Many products are presented for sale by hanging them on display support members such as display hooks, pegs, arms and the like that are affixed to a perforated board or pegboard containing a plurality of apertures. The display support members are capable of being securely mounted within the apertures and can support salable goods in selected positions on the board for display purposes. The apertures are arranged on the perforated board in a plurality of rows and columns. It is advantageous to arrange the various display support members to maximize the space wherein products are presented for sale. Arranging the salable products on a perforated board in a neat and orderly fashion wherein space is maximized is a time-consuming process that requires skill and merchandising knowledge. A chain of stores can save time and money by having a merchandising expert at a central location determine the layout for a planogram, and then send the coordinates to the individual stores, thereby allowing employees at the separate stores to place the salable products.
There are prior art devices for arranging display support members on perforated boards. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,784 to Templin discloses a removable adhesive display sheet which, when mounted onto a perforated board, provides a display system for arranging and displaying salable goods to customers. The sheet includes apertures that align with the apertures in the board when the sheet is adhered to the board. The sheet includes display indicia, such as descriptive indicia or pictorial indicia, thereon. However, this system has many drawbacks. When adhering the sheet to the perforated board it is difficult to align the apertures. Also, it is time consuming to manufacture the sheet with the display indicia thereon. Furthermore, the pictorial indicia must be specific to certain salable items.
A long felt need exists for a system for arranging salable items and the corresponding display support members on a perforated board that is simple and overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for positioning a product on a display. The method includes the steps of defining an indicia row associated with the display, defining an indicia column associated with the display, providing a product coordinates set specifying an intended position of the product on the display, and locating the product on the display using the positioning coordinates set at a location corresponding to the product coordinates set. A column indicia and a row indicia form a set of coordinates. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the additional step of sliding the indicia column relative to the indicia row.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for facilitating the positioning of at least one product on a display. The system includes a coordinate indicia row associated with the display, and a coordinate indicia column associated with the display. The coordinate indicia row and the coordinate indicia column cooperate to define at least one product coordinates set at a point on the display where the product is to be positioned. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the display is a perforated board, and the indicia column is slidable relative to the indicia row.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for facilitating the positioning of a product on a display. The device includes a first horizontal member adapted to removably engage the display, said horizontal member including coordinate indicia thereon, and a coordinate member associated with the horizontal member. A coordinate from the first horizontal member and a coordinate from the coordinate member form a product coordinates set for facilitating positioning of a product on the display. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the display is a perforated board and the coordinate member is a tape measure. In another preferred embodiment of the invention the device includes a carriage that is slidable relative to the first horizontal member.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a merchandising device comprising a coordinate system that includes first and second coordinate sets. The first coordinate set includes a plurality of alphabetical, numeric or alphanumeric elements that progress alphabetically, numerically or alphanumerically in a first direction and the second coordinate set includes substantially the same elements as the first coordinate set. The elements of the second coordinate set progress in a second direction that is substantially opposite to the first direction.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.